Gary Welford

Music fans heading to the Foo Fighters show in Sunderland on Bank Holiday Monday could have their travel plans disrupted by the national rail strike.

Nexus, which runs the Tyne and Wear Metro service, announced today that trains will between Pelaw and South Hylton will be disrupted if the strike goes ahead on Monday and Tuesday.

I am sorry for the inconvenience this strike will cause to our customers. It will cause partial disruption to Metro services.

Raymond Johnstone, Nexus

Services between Pelaw, Sunderland and South Hylton will be unable to run after 5pm on Monday, and will not resume until around 6pm on Tuesday, should the strike happen.

Metro staff are not part of the industrial action and services will still be running on the rest of the network as normal.

The national strike by Network Rail staff in the RMT union will affect all train services through Sunderland, including the Tyne and Wear Metro, Northern Rail and Grand Central trains.

Services through Sunderland are affected because Network Rail owns the line and provides signalling and power control.

Talks between Network Rail and the Trades Unions are taking place, which may still lead to resolution of the dispute.

No replacement bus service will be in operation between Pelaw and South Hylton, and passengers travelling in the affected area advised to plan their journey in advance, via the Nexus website HERE or by calling Nexus on 0191 202 0747.

Nexus will be providing a special direct bus service from Heworth Interchange to the Stadium of Light, between 4pm and 7.30pm, for people heading to the Foo Fighters concert on Monday evening. 55 Buses also running after the concert.

On Bank Holiday Monday, the last Metro operating Pelaw to South Hylton departs at 3.52pm.

This is followed by a Pelaw to Sunderland station service at 4.16pm. The last Metro train back from South Hylton leaves at 4.25pm, and the last Metro from Sunderland station leaves at 4.43pm.

Raymond Johnstone, director of rail and infrastructure for Nexus, said: “I am sorry for the inconvenience this strike will cause to our customers. It will cause partial disruption to Metro services.

“It means that we are unable to run Metros between Pelaw and South Hylton from 5pm on Bank Holiday Monday until 6pm the following day.

“Passengers are advised to plan their journeys in advance and make alternative travel arrangements if travelling through the area which is affected by the disruption.

“We are running a bus service to get people to and from the Foo Fighters concert in Sunderland with a minimum of fuss.

“These direct services will depart from Heworth Interchange and will stop at the Stadium of Light

“People should plan to travel earlier in the afternoon to avoid any stress, and keep up to date with the latest information over the coming days.”